Shakti Posted March 24, 2010 Author Share Posted March 24, 2010 BigDaz - I wish it was that but he has snapped at a two year old toddler who had her back to him playing with bubble mixture as well as at a very gentle deaf fifteen year old girl who had been patting him just moments before. Plus with all the training he has had it is not acceptable for him to be making judgements as to people's character and snapping at them when I have told him *by word and action* that these people are part of our family. Kamuzz I don't think i should say who his breeders are but they are well-known and I believe very reputable. I have contacted them about this situation and hope to hear from them soon. They have been very supportive and we only lost touch when we moved inter-state. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dianed Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 WTF do you suggest that she does with the teenage foster children she has??? Simply 'send them back'?? Where do you think these children will go? Or do you not care? Honestly, you people are stupid. Yeah right stupid are we!! I know people who do foster and they get paid for it. Its non taxable and does not effect a pension entitlement if one happen to receive one. Ive even known of one person in my town who blatantly did it for the money,Some of the kids that this person has fostered have had many personal problems, maybe the gsd being an astute breed of dog has picked up on certain things. Hopefully the dog can be re homed to a more suitable environment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IngeK Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 did he ever snap at you or your husband Brooke or is it only the kids? we have 2 GSD's and I know 1 we cant trust with kids..at all. We dont have kids our selves so for us its not a problem. What I want to say though is that rehoming Ben to a non-kids environment should be a good thing. He probably gets back to his old selve again, where he doesnt get annoyed by all the people in the house and he might never snap at anybody again. Good youre going to sort the braintests out while that might have a complete different light on Bens situation. (hope it makes sense what Im trying to say while Im not a native English speaker ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shakti Posted March 24, 2010 Author Share Posted March 24, 2010 DianneD in Victoria foster care pays less than $1.00 per hour I am not doing this for the money and I hope I am mistaken in your insinuation? By the way, it is not only the foster kids Ben has snapped at. I only mentioned that to explain that our home situation is probably more *fluid* than most and that MAY be a contributing factor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Okami Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 Hey Brooke, I wish I had some constructive advice to offer you... Instead I offer my compassion and support. It sounds like you are trying to do the right thing :D and I wish you and Ben all the best x o x o Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shakti Posted March 24, 2010 Author Share Posted March 24, 2010 Thanks Inge - yes your post was very clear! No - Ben has snapped at several people ranging from toddlers to on one occasion an elderly man. He doesn't actually snap with the lungeing snarl at me but when he is licking my face he does these little snaps in the air which is very disconcerting. Also my concern is that even in a household with no kids they may well have children (or other people) visit them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beaglelover:) Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 I think there needs to be a deeper investigation into WHY he is displaying this behaviour, maybe this has already been addressed, however if not here are some questions that need to be answered before making a decision on Ben’s future: Does he only snap when on his bed? Does he resource guard anything else? What is his body language when he snaps? Confident or timid? Do you introduce the foster children correctly to Ben? Does Ben see you as the Pack Leader? What do the children do when Ben snaps? Do they run away? If so, this could be strengthen his bad behaviour? How long have you been fostering for? Has Ben always shown this behaviour, if not what has changed? Have you changed the way Ben has been treated when a new foster child arrives? I could go on and on. I believe maybe it is best to seek another professional opinion, before making a decision. As you stated you are mostly dealing with foster children 12+, who if taught properly and clearly can have the ability to understand Ben and maybe help Ben. There have been many studies on the effects animals have on troubled children. Of course this should only come from a professional who has see and assessed Ben and your situation who can give you a clear outline of a long term management plan with your foster children. Re-homing might still be the last solution, however I believe option a,b,c should be explored first with an experienced professional. What advice/plan has a behaviorist given you? Has it work? Once someone has found the core problem only then can you truly help Ben. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jed Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 (edited) BigDaz - I wish it was that but he has snapped at a two year old toddler who had her back to him playing with bubble mixture as well as at a very gentle deaf fifteen year old girl who had been patting him just moments before. Plus with all the training he has had it is not acceptable for him to be making judgements as to people's character and snapping at them when I have told him *by word and action* that these people are part of our family.Kamuzz I don't think i should say who his breeders are but they are well-known and I believe very reputable. I have contacted them about this situation and hope to hear from them soon. They have been very supportive and we only lost touch when we moved inter-state. It seemed to me, from your post, that Ben was unhappy about the children, and would be better with no children - or at least, children coming or going. It seemed to me that he was giving constant warnings about his unhappiness. Now that you have posted a bit more, I suggest you check him for neuro issues, and also have a thyroid test done. Thyroid problems can present like this. I don't think a behaviourist can help. Hopefully, the breeder can help, but I would not send him to any rescue. I think the people who take him as a new home need to speak to you. If he is fostered, that is one more unstable situation, where he is likely to do something wrong. He needs to go from your home to a new one - with no children, and people who are not only aware of his issues, but have seen them. A rescue could only relate the issues to someone else, and there is a big chance of misunderstandings which will end in grief all round. Good luck. Edited March 24, 2010 by Jed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greytmate Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 We have an unused Granny Flat which I use to house any fosters I may have. That is not an option for Ben to be locked in as it is basically one room plus a toilet. Thanks for your concern though! I thought fostering was about having the dog in your home, assessing it and helping it to become more rehomable. Not locking it by itself in an unused building. Up to you Brooke, you either want to keep your dog or you want to foster children. I wouldn't rehome a dog that has displayed aggression towards people, however I would get a behaviourist for advice on whether the dog can be properly managed before putting the dog to sleep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IngeK Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 Thanks Inge - yes your post was very clear!No - Ben has snapped at several people ranging from toddlers to on one occasion an elderly man. He doesn't actually snap with the lungeing snarl at me but when he is licking my face he does these little snaps in the air which is very disconcerting. Also my concern is that even in a household with no kids they may well have children (or other people) visit them If we get visitors with children which doesnt happen very often we never let her near the kids. Very good to do while visitors never stay longer then a couple of hours. The older the kids are the better she can handle it but shes growled at a toddler once still in Holland so therefor I would never trust her. For us shes a wonderful dog but for me doesnt automaticly maker her human aggressive because of what she has done once. We have had a GSD in Holland before who was always friendly to people and animals untill he once bit our lam out of the blue. about half a year later he got really sick and after a vet check (his stomach blew up) he had several tumors in his stomach so he had to be pts. He might have had them in his head as well which might have made him bite the lam that one instance. So please check Ben on those things while it could explain some things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Her Majesty Dogmad Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 (edited) Brooke, what sort of dog have you decided on, following your recent post where you were looking for a more protective sort of dog? I've been searching but can't find that thread. I remember you were saying that your GSD didn't fit the bill there. Edited March 24, 2010 by dogmad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shakti Posted March 24, 2010 Author Share Posted March 24, 2010 Thanks very much Jed and Inge. Lots to do and boy, it does feel good to have some possible options to explore ie thyroid etc. Greytmate - it is a pregnant cat due to give birth in a few days - am pretty sure she is MUCH happier in the peace and quiet!!! I am going to request that Troy lock this thread now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Her Majesty Dogmad Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 Yep, lock it down! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shakti Posted March 24, 2010 Author Share Posted March 24, 2010 Dogmad - I was never looking to get another dog. I started a thread ASKING what breeds,...... you know what? I have already answered this question in this thread so feel free to go back and re-read it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Her Majesty Dogmad Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 OK Brooke, I have a great and long memory ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_PL_ Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 Brooke, what sort of dog have you decided on, following your recent post where you were looking for a more protective sort of dog? I've been searching but can't find that thread. I remember you were saying that your GSD didn't fit the bill there. this one? linky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Her Majesty Dogmad Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 (edited) Thanks Powerlegs! By the way Brooke, did you find some local pounds you could rescue from, rather than bringing cats and dogs all the way down from Sydney? And of course, you wouldn't be wanting a protective breed with all those children, it just wouldn't be safe. Edited March 24, 2010 by dogmad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmolo Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 Wow, i hope i never post a topic that has everyone dig up my thread history! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spot. Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 Wow, i hope i never post a topic that has everyone dig up my thread history! :D That's dol for you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beaglelover:) Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 Wow, i hope i never post a topic that has everyone dig up my thread history! :D That's dol for you Hmmm yes, quite sad really! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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